Pac-5 team's reward finally arrives

Justice, delayed

Newport Harbor got into the Pac-5 Division playoffs as the at-large team. The Sailors finished in a three-way tie for second place, but coin flips made them the No. 4 team in the Sunset League, pushing them into the pool of at-large candidates. This is a team that would have been the champion of a few other leagues in the county. Last year, Newport Harbor finished in a five-way tie for first in the Sunset League, but coin flips knocked the Sailors out of the playoffs, a pity because Newport was the hottest team in the league at the end of the season. While this year's inclusion in the playoffs does not help last year's Harbor seniors much, it does reward a deserving team and a traditionally strong program.

Who's No. 1?

Edison was No. 1 on all 10 ballots in the final polling of the media members who vote on the county top 10. But what about Mission Viejo? Edison and Mission Viejo did not play each other this year, and the only way they could meet is in the Pac-5 Division championship game at Angel Stadium on Dec. 12 (and, believe it or not, Edison and Mission Viejo have never played each other in a varsity football game). They have one common opponent, Dana Hills, and both beat Dana Hills. Edison won by 17 points, Mission by 32. Dana, at No. 5, is the only team in the current top 10 that Mission played, but Edison has beaten four other teams in the top 10 – No. 3 Servite, No. 4 Los Alamitos, No. 6 Fountain Valley and No. 9 Mater Dei. So, strength of schedule-wise, Edison deserves to be No. 1. But Mission Viejo does not seem very far behind, if at all.

Easy street?

Which county playoff team has the easiest road to the finals? Nobody in the Pac-5; that division is wicked. It might be St. Margaret's. The Tartans, going for what would be a county-record fourth consecutive CIF championship, might have some one-sided victories on their way to the East Valley final.

Best first-round game?

Orange Lutheran at Dana Hills, in the Pac-5 Division. That's a battle of teams in the county top 10, with Dana at No. 5 and Lutheran at No. 7. Other good ones in the first round are Long Beach Poly-Los Alamitos, a Pac-5 game, at what is going to be a neutral field – it's Los Al's home game at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach, but that's also Poly's home field; and Pacifica-Fullerton and Villa Park-El Toro, both in the Southwest, which look like toss-ups.

Best teams not in the playoffs?

Tesoro (5-5) was not the team it was last year when the Titans got to the Pac-5 final, but they still are a decent team. Esperanza (4-6) lost to Los Alamitos by two points, and to Newport Harbor by three. Canyon (4-6) lost to Fullerton and Glendora by one point, and lost to Laguna Hills by eight.